Making an independent film is often a labor of love that can take years, countless hours, energy, and a significant financial investment. Yet, for many indie filmmakers, the hardest part is recouping that investment and making money once the film is finished. A common pitfall is losing a large portion of revenue—often half or more—to sales agents, distributors, and marketing expenses. However, with the right knowledge, strategy, and effort, indie filmmakers can maximize their film’s earnings without giving away so much control or profit.

Here is a comprehensive guide to keeping more of your film’s revenue and ensuring your film gets the audience and financial return it deserves.

Understanding the Distribution Landscape

Most indie filmmakers traditionally rely on sales agents and distributors to get their films to audiences. Sales agents typically take 15-20%, and distributors can take another 20-35%, easily cutting your revenue share by half right from the start. Additionally, marketing costs that may be deducted can range from a few thousand to upwards of $15,000, further eating into profits. The accounting is often opaque, making it difficult to know how much you truly earned.

Distributors nowadays tend to focus on worldwide rights deals and use aggregators to place films on streaming platforms like Amazon, Apple TV, and Tubi. These deals often do not fetch the best revenue for most indie filmmakers. Many distributors also do limited outreach, reaching only a small number of potential buyers, which can limit the sales opportunities for your film.

Becoming Your Own Sales Agent

One of the most important shifts indie filmmakers must make today is to become their own sales agents. Instead of relying entirely on intermediaries, you should learn the art and business of distribution:

• Research and build an extensive list of distributors worldwide. Top filmmakers have compiled lists of hundreds of distributors by country and genre. Going wide increases your chances of multiple revenue deals.
• Send personalized pitches to hundreds of distributors, showcasing your finished film, cast details (including social media following), genre, logline, and trailer. Ask if they want to see the full feature.
• Don’t settle for a single distributor or a big-name company that may not prioritize your film. Instead, aim for multiple minimum guarantees (MGs) from niche distributors in individual territories like Germany, Japan, and the UK.
• Maintain transparent communication and track every outreach effort carefully.

Pitching and Marketing Tips

When pitching your film:

• Highlight key genre elements and target audience since distributors are often risk-averse and look for specific film types.
• Include social media metrics or fanbase counts, which can make your film more attractive.
• Provide a strong one-minute trailer and a concise logline.
• Be prepared for rejections; even a 5% positive response rate is success.

Marketing is also crucial and can’t be left solely to distributors. Understanding and managing your marketing efforts—or at least closely overseeing budgets and strategies—ensures your film stands out and reaches viewers directly.

Self-Distribution and Hybrid Models

If traditional distribution offers no appealing deals, self-distribution can be a viable option:

• Platforms like Vimeo On Demand, Amazon Prime Direct, and YouTube allow you to upload, price, and market your film directly to audiences while retaining full creative and revenue control.
• Aggregators like Filmhub and Quiver help place self-distributed films on multiple streaming services, often for a reasonable fee or revenue share.
• The hybrid distribution model combines some traditional distribution deals with self-distribution, maximizing revenue streams, audience reach, and control over your film’s destiny.

Takeaway: Be Proactive and Entrepreneurial

The indie filmmaking world is now as much about entrepreneurship as artistry. Knowing distribution essentials, taking ownership of your sales process, and actively marketing your film are no longer optional—they are key for financial success.

By investing time in outreach, exploring multiple territories, securing minimum guarantees, and considering hybrid or self-distribution approaches, indie filmmakers can keep more of their earnings, increase their film’s audience, and avoid being sidelined by opaque deals and slim returns.

The days of handing your film over to a distributor and hoping for the best are gone. The winning formula today is to be your own sales agent, marketer, and advocate—empowered to make your indie film pay off.

Reading is one of the most powerful skills you can develop — but most people read far slower than they could, spend time on information that doesn’t matter, and then forget what they read a week later. The Triforce Method changes that. It’s a three-part strategy that helps you increase your reading speed, focus on the most important details, and actually remember and use what you’ve learned.

Strategy 1: Increase Your Baseline Reading Speed

The first step is to read faster — but not by rushing. Instead, you’ll train your brain and eyes to process information more efficiently.

1. Remove Your Internal Monologue

Most people “hear” the words in their head when reading. This subvocalization caps your speed to that of normal speech — about 200–250 words per minute. To double your speed, you need to see the words, not hear them.

Think about a stop sign — you don’t sound out “STOP” in your head; you just recognize it instantly. You can train this with tools like Spreeder (free, not sponsored), which flashes text at higher speeds and groups words together. This forces your brain to process visually rather than subvocally.

With practice, this feels natural — the author of this method went from 250 wpm to over 500 wpm in just a short time.

2. Use a Visual Tracker

Your eyes aren’t naturally smooth when moving across text — small jerks and backtracking slow you down. Try this:

• Look at your screen and move your eyes from left to right. Notice the small jitters.
• Now put your finger or a pen in front of you and track it smoothly. Immediately, your motion is more consistent.

A tracker (your finger, a pen, or even a cursor) keeps your eyes moving forward, prevents regression, and lets you maintain speed. Over time, increase your tracking speed. This alone can add another 100+ words per minute to your pace.

Strategy 2: Have a Reading Strategy

Speed means nothing if you waste time on unimportant details. The second step is knowing when to read fast and when to slow down — especially for non-fiction.

The 80/20 Rule

In most non-fiction books, 80% of the value comes from 20% of the content. The rest is often filler, examples, or repetition.

For example, in Atomic Habits, the core lessons are surrounded by stories and case studies. Using the Triforce Method:

1. Read most sections quickly (internal monologue removed, visual tracker engaged).
2. When you hit a “golden nugget” of advice, slow down, think about it, and absorb it.

The key here: adapt your speed based on content. Reading 700 wpm during a key concept will reduce comprehension — so drop to 500 wpm or less when it matters.

Avoid “highlighting every sentence” syndrome. Focus on what really moves the needle.

Strategy 3: Summarise and Consolidate

Reading faster and smarter means nothing if you immediately forget what you’ve read. The third pillar of the Triforce Method is about retention and application.

Summarising

After each page, summarise it in 1–2 sentences in your own words. Even “nothing important happened here” counts. This habit forces your brain to engage with the material and improves comprehension.

Consolidating

Especially for non-fiction, you must take action on what you read. Learning is about changing behavior, not just collecting ideas.

Example: After reading about habit tracking in Atomic Habits, actually start tracking your habits that day — don’t just file the advice away for “someday.” The author of this method even paused reading for 24 hours to implement changes before continuing.

If you don’t change anything after reading, you haven’t truly learned.

When to Use This Method

• Learning-focused reading: Non-fiction, textbooks, technical guides, exam prep — anytime speed, focus, and retention matter.
• Enjoyment reading: Fiction, poetry, or literature may not require all these techniques — unless you want to increase speed intentionally.

The Bottom Line

The Triforce Method combines:

1. Speed – Removing subvocalization + using a visual tracker.
2. Strategy – Applying the 80/20 rule and adapting your pace.
3. Retention – Summarising and acting on what you read.

With consistent practice, you can double your reading speed, focus only on what matters, and actually remember and use the information.

If you’d like, I can also make a condensed, visually appealing infographic summarizing the three strategies in the Triforce Method so it’s easier to refer back to.

Do you want me to prepare that next?

Unlocking Professional Quality on a Modest Budget

By Bolanle Media Editorial Team

Introduction

Today’s iPhone is miles beyond just a point-and-shoot device. For indie filmmakers and creators with big ideas, it’s a legitimate powerhouse—if you learn to treat it like a real cinema camera. With streaming platforms and social creators leveling the filmmaking landscape, your phone might just be the most important camera you own. Here’s how to make it shine.

Mindset Shift: Your Phone Is a Cinema Camera

Many creators stumble because they assume cinematic footage comes from gear alone. It doesn’t. Cinematic filmmaking is about intention, preparation, and craft.

• Think like a filmmaker: Treat each shot as a storytelling opportunity, not just a clip for social media.
• Study great films: Analyze how acclaimed directors use movement, light, and composition. Emulate, then evolve your style.
• Practice by imitation: Start by copying scenes you admire. Over time, find your creative voice as your technical skills grow.

Essential Gear for Elevated iPhone Shoots

The Cinematic Formula on Mobile

1. Composition & Lighting

• Seek leading lines and depth: Arrange natural lines in your frame to draw the viewer’s eye and create three-dimensionality.
• Use the rule of thirds: Place key subjects at the intersections for balance and energy.
• Chase good light: Early morning or late afternoon provides dynamic contrast. Use shadows for depth and mood.
• Backlighting magic: A sliver of light outlining your subject instantly improves production value.

2. Movement: The Gimbal Advantage

• Smooth, Steady Shots: Gimbals eliminate phone shake, enabling floating, precise camera moves like push-ins, reveals, and tracking.
• Unlock Movement Modes: Experiment with pan-follow, lock, or POV to expand your creative toolkit.
• Practice the “ninja walk”: Bend your knees, glide your steps, and let the gimbal do the rest.

3. Camera Settings for Filmic Results

• Shutter speed matters: An ND filter lets you shoot at 1/48 sec (for 24 fps), yielding natural motion blur.
• Manual Exposure: Apps like Blackmagic Camera let you control ISO, white balance, and bitrate—critical for color grading.
• Shoot Flat or Log: Capture more color data for post-production flexibility.

4. Sound and Auxiliary Tips

• Don’t settle for phone audio: Use lavaliers, shotgun mics, or record sound separately.
• Monitor on set: Review footage on larger screens when possible to spot exposure or focus issues early.
• Storyboard & shot list: Plan scenes in advance to maximize efficiency and narrative cohesion.

Real-World iPhone Filmmaking: Creative Workarounds

• Avoid distractions: If your phone is also your main communication device, a secondary device (even an old phone) for notes or contact can be invaluable on set.
• Battery life: iPhone video eats through power; keep a charged power bank handy.
• Storage is gold: High-resolution footage fills up space fast. Offload files regularly.

Final Thoughts: Creativity Over Gear

Mastering your iPhone—combined with careful shot planning and intention—will do more for your visual storytelling than any new camera body. The tools are accessible; what matters most is your creative vision.

“Your phone’s limitations force you to be resourceful and intentional. If you can craft a compelling film within those constraints, you’ll be unstoppable with any camera.”

Happy shooting, and remember: on Bolanle Media, every story deserves cinematic treatment—no matter what camera you use.